University of Michigan

Overview

The University of Michigan is a large public research university offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. There are thirteen undergraduate schools and colleges, with the largest being the College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA), the Ross School of Business, and the College of Engineering. Students are admitted directly into the college to which they apply and they declare a major during the second term of sophomore year. There is no common curriculum across colleges.

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Number of 1st years: ~7,000

Undergraduates: ~29,000 (Men 50% / Women 50%)

Graduates: ~15,700

Additional information can be found in the student profile.

First-Year Programs of Note

The following are noteworthy programs that differ from MIT practices. Unless otherwise stated, assumptions should not be made about the effectiveness of these programs.

Advising & Mentoring

Michigan has advising centers staffed by professional advisors on campus based in each of the different colleges. These centers provide academic advising and personal counseling to first-year and undeclared students. Centers also offer various workshops to support student success. Faculty partners, professional advisors, and peer advisors work together to help students achieve their academic and personal goals. Each center, including The Engineering Advising Center (EAC), has paid peer advisors on staff so students can access to advice and guidance from upper class students on-demand. Peer advisors are trained and experienced undergraduates prepared to help answer student questions about issues from course selections to selecting majors.

Bridge Programs

The Comprehensive Studies Program (CSP) Summer Experience is similar to the Summer Bridge Scholars Program (SBSP) in that both programs take place over the summer to support first-generation college students and/or students from underrepresented groups. However, participants in CSP are students with previous experience in a summer college program during high school. The CSP can also be started in the fall for students who wish to do so.

Both programs require enrollment in a common freshman seminar. CSP 101 emphasizes major exploration and experiential learning. SBSP students also register for credit-bearing math and writing classes, while CSP students register for just one additional course based on an advisor recommendation. Both programs help students familiarize themselves with the campus and provide academic, social, and professional programs designed to build community and promote academic self-efficacy and a growth mindset.

First Year Bridge Scholars PLUS

SBSP participants can extend their experience with Bridge Scholars PLUS up to their senior year to receive additional faculty and alumni mentorship. Students can also take advantage of career counseling assistance and scholarships for internships or study abroad opportunities.

Early Warning Systems

Student Explorer is an early warning system that combines Learning Management System (LMS) data and learning analytics techniques to provide information to advisors, who can in turn, provide just-in-time assistance to students at risk of underperforming in their classes. The system was designed and implemented as part of a research project through the Learning, Education & Design (LED) Lab,.

First-Year Seminars and Experiences

  • The First Year Experience (FYE) is a themed living community for students living in four designated first-year residence halls. There is a low ratio of staff to students, creating a close-knit community. The FYE program offers theme programming and services during the first year. Students in FYE also take Making the Most of Michigan (ALA 171) together, within their residence halls. This 7-week, 1-credit class focuses on skills for transitioning to college, integrative learning, and social justice.
  • First-Year Seminars are courses limited to 18 students to allow students to engage with faculty on a more personal basis. Seminars span the writing requirement, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and interdisciplinary distribution.
  • The Michigan College of Engineering offers Engineering 110, a 2-credit class for first year students to explore the various majors in the college. Taken by about half of all first-year students, classes meet weekly, with each class-period providing information about two different majors. Over the course of the term, professor(s) and upper class students from each major give a short presentation and facilitate a Q&A session about life as a student in the major. Guest lecturers often attend to discuss careers in the major. There are also small group meetings with TAs for students to explore personal values, interests, etc. that can help inform major selection.
  • Every year in March, the university hosts a Major/Minor Expo to allow students to explore careers in the major as well as meet with faculty and students in each of the departments.

Learning Communities

There are several Michigan Learning Communities (MLC) for first-year students who have shared goals and common interests around which they would like to build community. MLCs are based in the residence halls and require students to live in the specific hall where the program is housed. Each semester, students take at least one class together related to the focus of the MLC. After the first year, students are invited to continue living in the residence and take on a peer advising role. All residence-based learning communities have in-house academic advisors, Community Learning Centers, a computing site, and live-in residential staff.

Example MLCs

The Residential College (RC) is a small, four-year liberal arts MLC within the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). RC offers a small college experience, with faculty, classes, and advising in a residence hall setting so students can easily build community around common interests, academic or otherwise. The curriculum includes programs in the humanities and social sciences. Admission is granted for freshmen and sophomores only.

Service Learning, Community-Based Learning

The Michigan Community Scholars Program (MCSP) is another one of the learning communities at Michigan. It brings together students and faculty who have a commitment to community service, diversity and academic excellence. Through small courses, faculty-student contact, service projects, leadership opportunities and social programs, students model an ideal community through intergroup engagement, responsibility, friendship, and collaboration.

Undergraduate Research

Incoming first-year students apply and are accepted into Michigan's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) over the summer and students begin engaging in program activities as soon as they arrive on campus. The program provides support and structure to student participants through bi-weekly seminars and monthly one-on-one meetings led by paid upper class peer advisors (former UROP participants). First-year UROP seminars include professional development topics (e.g. how to find a UROP, how to read peer-reviewed literature), and continue through the year to help with preparing poster presentations, handling conflict in the lab, etc. There is also a year-end campus conference at which UROP participants present their research in a poster format and oral presentations. UROPs are completed primarily for credit (vs. pay) and can be continued through the summer.

Other Programs of Note

Common Intellectual Experiences

Michigan provides an opportunity for students to study in the context of a Theme Semester. Students from across the University, including first-year students in the College of Literature, Science & Arts, participate in an immersive semester-long exploratory experience around a common area of focus. Students combine coursework with lectures, museum exhibits, music or theater performances, film series, and more. Examples of themes include: water, the universe, or language.

Diversity/Global Learning

All students who graduate from the College of Literature, Science, and Arts have a 3-credit (1 class) Race and Ethnicity (R&E) requirement. Courses are designed for students do discuss race, ethnicity, racism to better understand issues of inequality and discrimination based on gender, race, religion, etc.

Other Programs

The following programs are structured and implemented in a manner similar Diversity/Global Learningto those at MIT.

Orientation

Fall Orientation

Writing-Intensive Courses

First Year Writing Requirement

Internships

Engineering Internships

LSA Opportunity Hub

Undergrad Jobs & Internships

Undergraduate Research

Summer Research Opportunities through the College of Engineering

Description of Core/GIR Practices

LSA Degree Requirements:

Earning a degree from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts requires a minimum 120 credits completed overall and a minimum of 60 credits completed at the University.

-Writing Requirements (FYWR, ULWR)

-Quantitative Reasoning (QR)

-Race and Ethnicity (RE)

-Language Requirement (LR)

-Area Distribution (NS, SS, HU, MSA, CE)

First Year Engineering Core Curriculum

Each student will be expected to complete some combination of the following courses:

1. Mathematics 115 and 116 or one of the honors Math sequences

2. Chemistry 130 and 125/126, or, for some, 130, 210, and 211

3. Intro to Engineering 100

4. Intro to Computers & Programming Engineering 101 or Engineering 151

5. Physics 140 and 141


First-Year Housing

University housing is guaranteed for all incoming first-year students. There are 18 residence halls and apartments, each with their own distinguishing characteristics from which students can select to live.